Something that got me all the way to the National Grand Finals of the speak-up awards back in 2005 when I was in year seven. Again, this was when I was in year seven. I like to think I've improved. This is a Speech and the only copy I could dig up.

Look at the person next to you. Do they look like a lobster? Right now each and every one of us is going through the lobster effect. Place a lobster in a tank of cold water and heat it slowly. The lobster will become warmer. Keep heating the water and the lobster slowly raises its body temperature and after an excruciatingly long time, boils. So the unaware lobster never realises that its body is reaching dangerous temperatures. The reason the lobster did not notice is the change is because it is so gradual. It's the same for us! The lobster effect is perfect to demonstrate the gradual nature and final result of global warming.

Look on the horizon. There is a power plant belching out greenhouse gas. It's inefficient methods of making power are not only consuming enormous amounts of coal and the other fuels to keep it going but is filling the atmosphere with green house gases that won't dissipate for another fifty years. Noisy, ugly and inefficient in the extreme. In the past it was the best we had.

We are experiencing the effects already and like the lobster we are near the point of no return. Scientists are unsure that even if the world stopped producing green house gases and chopping down trees this instant, how long recovery would be. If the oceans had not absorbed much of the CO2 the effect would be even more severe, but they are reaching saturation point and the effects will accelerate.

We are starting to see commercial applications of wind and tidal power but it is still small scale compared to the total power demand but this is encouraging. The latest move to install the wind power equal capacity for the desalination plant is a step in the right direction, but there must be more, a lot more. A timeframe to get to at least 50% renewable in the next 20 years needs to be adopted.

Crabby politicians say it is not technically viable. Stick with what we know, coal, gas ….Is that because those power sources are providing employment to people in their electorates! Could there be a little conflict of interest? Are they a little shellfish maybe?

If there isn't a conflict of interest why did Australia decline to join the Kyoto protocol? Now look at us -Australia has become the biggest producer of green house gases per head in the world. We need the clean technology now!

There is new technology that is clean and efficient, one that is small enough to allow onsite generating capacity at the home or office.

This is the ceramic fuel cell. Unlike other fuel cells that need mostly pure hydrogen to operate this fuel cell makes use of a range of natural gases to make its own emission free hydrogen instantly converting it into energy and heat.

Now if we tried really tried we could have fuel cells commonly available in Australia in two years. Sure it would take some government support. Sure we have to shell out more initially until the capital costs are covered. Is this any different than pouring money into Western power infrastructure that is already stretched to breaking point, and will produce even more greenhouse gas?

So come out of you shell. Raise your claw and vote for change.

Or like the lobster, future children will be in very hot water indeed.

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